We spent the morning doing some laundry and getting Natalie’s things re-packed for her six-day People to People adventure. After lunch, we set off for Fairfax, Va., about 30 minutes away.
This “summer camp” in which Natalie is participating is taking up three floors of a plush. mod suburban Hyatt. While we waited in line to get her signed in, we bumped into her classmate Jacob, the only other person from her school who is attending this particular People to People program, and his parents. The poor kids were both so nervous that they could barely acknowledge each other. They just stood there, wide-eyed and anxious.
After Natalie checked in, she was whisked away to a student orientation meeting, where, we’re told, the kids were fed snacks and played ice-breaker games with their counselors, while I attended a parent orientation meeting and learned all about what Natalie has in store for this week.
There are nearly 200 kids enrolled in this particular session. They will spend the week touring Washington landmarks and memorials, participating in leadership workshops and completing a service project together. Some of the highlights of the week will include a special dinner at the Saudi Arabian embassy, a private breakfast at the International Spy Museum, and a sunset harbor cruise. The keynote speaker at their kick-off gathering tonight will be Ken Walsh, chief White House correspondent for U.S. News & World Report.
Natalie will be rooming with two other girls her age, and will be part of a larger unit of 12 girls who stick with their counselor, Meghan.
It was almost 4 p.m. by the time we finished up at the Hyatt. From there, after another 30-minute drive, some unplanned U-turns and a impromptu, inadvertent jog around the northwest side of the Pentagon, we pulled in to Arlington National Cemetery.
Taking cues from many signs posted around the visitors center, Keith and I explained to Charlie and Clare that the cemetery is a sacred, hallowed place, and that goofing-off and horsing around are not appropriate. They seemed to realize the gravity of the place immediately, and, as we strolled the grounds looking at JFK’s grave, the Tomb of the Unknowns and memorials to the crews of the Challenger and Columbia space shuttle missions, Clare and Charlie conducted themselves with utmost reverence by whispering questions and quietly contemplating the many tombstones and markers.
After a quick tour at Arlington and another unplanned tour of the northwest side of the Pentagon building, we we headed back out toward Fairfax. My cousin, Janice, and her husband, David, live in Annandale, which is next to Fairfax, and they welcomed us into their home for dinner. We relaxed with them and enjoyed a homestyle hotdog and hamburger cook-out -- a real pleasure after being on the road so long.
It was fun to catch up with Janice and David, and especially great to get their insider tips on things to do in the District (which I guess is what we’re supposed to call the D.C. area). We left with a long list of compelling places to go and sights to see over the next four days. Thanks, guys!
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